


Last Minute

by mc_writer



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Christmas, Fluff, M/M, Meet-Cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-02
Updated: 2017-03-02
Packaged: 2018-09-27 20:59:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10049009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mc_writer/pseuds/mc_writer
Summary: Liam is dreading doing last minute shopping for Louis' gift.Until he meets someone who makes it seem all worthwhile.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sunnysideup](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunnysideup/gifts).



Every year, Liam made the same promise to himself.

Every year, he said he would start his Christmas shopping earlier. This year, he told himself, _this year_ , he would not not be one of the panicked souls scrambling to find just the right gift at the very last minute. Because, everybody knew that you never found the RIGHT gift when you had - Liam checked his watch and bit back the curse that threatened to leave his lips - only an hour before what was certainly going to be the best Christmas party of Liam’s year.

To be fair, Liam reasoned with himself, as he pushed through the crush of holiday shoppers, he actually _was_ _doing his_ shopping earlier. Earlier than usual that is. If Louis had only stuck to his usual Epic Birthday/Christmas Party schedule, Liam would in fact be living up to the promise he made to himself. 

Except, that this had to be the year Louis and Harry decided to get out of London for Christmas.

Harry had explained his Christmas getaway plan the last time they had gotten together for dinner. Suffice it to say Louis hadn’t been entirely on board about going to the beach for Christmas.

“I don’t know, Harry,” he said, doubt in his voice. “I mean, that’s the point, innit? Christmas and winter sort of go together. White Christmas and all that.”

“It’s still a white Christmas,” Harry explained, “Except, it’s white _sand_ ,” he emphasized. “And blue skies. And tropical drinks with little umbrellas in them.”

“Sounds very Christmassy,” Liam deadpanned.

“Excuse me, Liam,” Harry said, an offended expression on his face. “The point of Christmas isn’t the season or the weather or anything else. It’s about being with the people you love. And I love Lou,” Harry said, leaning towards Louis with a grin.

Louis looked at Harry fondly. “It seems a ridiculous idea if I’m perfectly honest, but I love you too, Harry, so if you’ve got your heart set on this, then why the hell not.”

Harry threw his hands into the air and whooped. He then pulled Louis into his arms and planted a sloppy kiss to his cheek. “You won’t regret it, love, I promise.”

Liam looked at over at Niall, who shrugged. “Don’t look at me, mate. It seems absolutely mental to me.”

Liam frowned. “So you won’t be having your epic birthday slash Christmas extravaganza this year?”

Louis frowned at that too. “No. I have a birthday party every year. And obviously we’ve got to celebrate with you lot too…We’ll just have to do it earlier then,” he decided, a smile on his face.

“Yes, we’ll do it earlier,” Harry decided. “It will be an advanced Christmas/Louis’ birthday extravaganza. And it will be marvelous.”

“Oi oi!” Louis said. “There you go then! All’s well, Liam. I wouldn’t leave you high and dry at the holidays!”

And that was that.

Thing is, Louis had told Liam the exact date of the party and it had occurred to Liam that he would have to go shopping earlier if he wanted to get Louis a gift...but between that and everything else going on, it had slipped Liam’s mind.

Which is how he now found himself, hours before the party, scrambling to find a gift that didn’t l _ook_ like he bought it hours before the party.

Liam groaned. This was going to be a disaster.

If it were Harry, Liam wouldn’t have a problem. He could buy a candle that would make their flat smell like a meadow of spring flowers, or a cabin in the forest and it would be done.

But, Louis. Louis was a challenge.

Because, what did you get the lad who had everything he needed? Louis wasn’t a complicated sort. Liam could get him a box of Yorkshire Tea and Louis would be over the moon, since he was of the opinion you could never have enough tea on hand.

But...tea? _Come on._ Liam huffed. Tea was not a gift you bought for a friend who had known you since you were barely out of diapers. Tea was a gift you bought for an aunt or your mum. And Louis was neither of those people. 

Which meant Liam needed to try harder.

“Excuse me…” Liam said then sighed. “Excuse me,” he repeated with a little more volume. People didn’t seem to know what the words meant anymore. He squeezed past a couple bickering about a vase (Liam agreed with the bloke--the vase was horrible) and a girl trying to convince her mother to purchase a purple beanbag (which Liam quite liked, actually.).

He exhaled heavily as he left the home decor section of the department store. He couldn’t think of why he thought he might find something for Louis there anyway. Louis’ idea of decorating was creating a new stack of video games.

As he entered the menswear section, Liam began to feel a little more cheerful. Surely, he could find something for Louis here.

Maybe a beanie. Louis loved those.

Or a nice, warm, cozy jumper.

Liam groaned. Except Louis was spending his holiday in a tropical climate and would have no need for a jumper, no matter how cozy.

As Liam wandered deeper into the rows of racks, his eyes fell on a blue Adidas hoodie and he moved quickly towards it. Yes, he might be on the beach this Christmas, but...Louis loved Adidas, he practically lived in hoodies when he wasn’t wearing clothes that were more suitable for his job as an English teacher.

Also, this shade of blue would be perfect to set off Louis’ eyes (a thought that, Liam was sure, came from spending too much time with Harry.)

Liam reached out to grasp the hoodie’s sleeve and frowned when someone seemed to be pulling on the other sleeve.

“Excuse me…” Liam began, but his voice faded away when he looked at the lad who was also holding the hoodie.

_Well._

Liam had never thought he was the kind of person to be bowled over by a pair of dark eyes and long lashes, but it turned out that he kind of was. It also seemed that Liam was not averse to cheekbones that looked they were cut out of marble and a quiff that seemed to defy gravity.

Mr. Eyelashes-and-Cheekbones bit his lip and tilted his head towards the hoodie, which neither of them had released from their grasp.

“Errm. Were you set on this?”

_Huh? Set on? What? Oh, the hoodie?_

Liam was distracted. He frowned down at the hoodie and shrugged. “I had been. ‘M looking for a gift for a friend. This seemed like a good idea.” He looked back up at the boy who was smiling at him, tongue caught between his teeth.

“Let me guess. Your friend’s got blue eyes?”“Yeah. Yeah he does,” Liam said, eyes wide.

“Same here. That’s why I thought this might be just the ticket.”

Liam grinned at him. “Well, you take this one then, I’ll just get the…” he flicked through the other hoodies on the rack then looked up, panic-stricken. “That’s the last blue one.”

“No. Are you serious?” The boy inhaled deeply and closed his eyes.

“Hey mate, I did say you could take it, so...” Liam motioned towards the hoodie.

The other boy frowned and said, “Well, if I take it, then at least let me help you find a gift for your friend.” He smiled and extended his hand towards the stranger who was smiling at him again. “I’m Zayn.”

“I’m Liam.”

Zayn’s hand was warm in his and Liam might have held on a second too long, but since Zayn didn’t seem to mind, he didn’t think he had anything to worry about.

“So, Liam,” Zayn said, taking the hoodie off the hanger and folding it over his arm, “Aside from having blue eyes, what other characteristics does this friend of yours have?”

Liam hummed a little, thinking, as they maneuvered their way through the racks and the other shoppers.

“He’s...well. He’s unique, I suppose. A great guy, life of the party, a prankster and a loudmouth, but he’s the one you want to have in your corner when things get rough.” Liam paused and cleared his throat, suddenly nervous. Why in the world was he spilling his guts about his oldest friend to a total stranger?

Never mind the fact that said stranger was drop-dead gorgeous and also looking at him with soft eyes and a fond smile, and it was too much and not quite enough.

“He sounds amazing. I get why you want to buy him something special.” Zayn pursed his lips in thought. “So...what does he like?” He grinned and continued, “Aside from Adidas and hoodies.”

Liam gave this some thought, then settled for the truth. “Tattoos, football, video games, skateboarding, kids…he teaches, see,” Liam explained.

Zayn grinned. “You know, you just might have just convinced me to give you the hoodie for him. I mean...you should have something that you really want to give your friend.”

“What about you? Who were you buying the hoodie for?”

Zayn looked down at the hoodie then back up at Liam. “He’s a friend’s friend. I mean, we’ve met and hung out, but I wouldn’t say we were _close_ close...” his voice trailed off. “But, yeah. This hoodie just sort of...well...it just seemed to make sense. Also...well,” Zayn smiled and his eyes crinkled, “his boyfriend pretty much told me what to get.”

They came to a particularly packed section of the mall and Liam tried to ignore the thrill running up his spine when Zayn placed a careful hand on the small of his back, gently steering him through the crowd.

“Well, if the boyfriend recommended it, then I guess you’re good to go.” Liam said, hands stuffed into pockets, a smile on his face too. They had stopped walking for a moment, pausing to take a breath in an empty corner of the store.

Zayn rubbed the back of his head. “But, what about you?”

Liam shook his head. “Aww, don’t worry. I’ll find something.”

“ _We_. We will find something,” Zayn said decisively. “I’m not leaving you until we get something you like as much as this hoodie.”

“Mate, it’s okay. You really don’t have to,” Liam said, but he knew the smile on his face was saying just the opposite.

“Liam. I insist.” Zayn was adamant. “I was sort of dreading my Christmas shopping. But, it’s turning out to be really, well, really nice. With you.”

Liam smiled wryly. “I hate to point this out, but you have a total of one item.”

“That’s true. One item. But then there’s also you.”

Liam flushed. This was the kind of “Love, Actually” shit Harry loved and certainly the kind of thing that never happened to Liam.

Except, it was happening right now. A beautiful boy was looking at him, and it was Christmas, and it was everything Liam didn’t know he wanted but apparently did.

If Louis were here, he would be elbowing Liam in the ribs and pushing him into Zayn’s arms.

That wasn’t really Liam’s style.

But, then again, Louis was always on him about being too serious, too careful.

“You need to put yourself out there, Liam,” Louis told him once, over a cup of tea.

Liam scoffed. “Not everyone is as lucky as you and Harry. Maybe, I’m just a single kind of guy.”

“It’s true. I got lucky. Harry and I got lucky. But you, single? I’m sorry, I don’t see it. I just think you haven’t met the right person yet. And when you do, how much do you want to bet you will be a total fool for him? And do everything you said you’d never do.”

“Whatever, Lou.”

“You’ll see. The right person will get you out of your shell and well...you’ll see.”

So, as much as Liam hated to admit it, maybe Louis was right.

“Well, I might as well shop for other people, until I see the right thing for my friend,” Liam said. He didn’t know what possessed him but he took Zayn’s hand and began pulling him through the store, a little bit thrilled at the fact that Zayn’s fingers closed immediately around his, with no sign of awkwardness or discomfort.

It turned out that Zayn was indeed the perfect shopping partner.

Liam made Zayn smell a ridiculous number of candles, which he was amazingly good-natured about. It led to Liam’s decision to buy one that was supposed to smell like grass after a summer rain for Harry (“Don’t know that it smells like grass or rain, exactly...but it’s nice. Very clean,” was Zayn’s assessment.) Zayn bought a coffee cup with a rainbow on it that he said was for a friend of his. Liam then bought a set of portable speakers for Niall, and helped Zayn select a pair of headphones for his younger sister.

Suddenly, Zayn grabbed Liam’s arm. “Wait. You said your friend liked skateboarding?”

“Yeah, I did, why?”

“Then you should get him a pair of Vans,” Zayn said, his eyes alight.

A smile slowly spread over Liam’s face. He didn’t know why he hadn’t thought of it sooner.

They made their way to the shoes section and just like how it was with the hoodie, Liam gravitated towards a pair that he was positive Louis would like. Louis had a number of pairs already, most of them in loud, fun colors, or the limited edition comic-book designs, so Liam decided to go with a more understated pair in a black and gray checkered pattern.

“Nice. Appropriate for many occasions,” Zayn nodded in approval.

Liam grinned, paid for the purchase, and then they slowly made their way to the exit.

“I hope your friend likes the hoodie,” Liam said.

“Hope your friend likes the Vans.”

They stood for a moment looking at each other, identical smiles on their faces.

“So...thanks for your help. With my shopping,” Zayn said, lifting his bags up. “I think my sister is really going to love the headphones.”

“Thanks, too,” Liam said. “Christmas shopping is usually such a chore. And there was so much pressure to get the right thing. You made it, well, almost fun.”

Zayn shot him a wry smile. “Almost?”

“Fine. You made it fun.” And Liam was actually being honest. He had never imagined Christmas shopping, last-minute Christmas shopping at that, could ever be as pleasant as it had been in Zayn’s company. Now that it was over, Liam couldn’t help but feel a little heartbroken.

“So. I hope you have a good Christmas,” Liam offered.

“You too,” Zayn replied with a smile.

Liam nodded, ran a nervous hand through his hair and looked at Zayn, with a helpless expression on his face. “So, now what?”

“Now?” Zayn, chuckled. “Now, I’m debating about whether I want to ask for your number. You could give it to me as a Christmas gift.”

Liam let out a relieved sigh and smiled broadly at Zayn. “Yes. Yes, but only if you give me yours too.”

“Perfect,” Zayn said. Liam dug into his pocket for his phone and handed it to Zayn, who did the same. They programmed their numbers into each other’s phone then handed them back, grinning.

“So. Happy Christmas, Liam. I look forward to hearing from you,” Zayn reached a hand out and tapped Liam on the chest. “Tag. You’re it.”

Liam was on fire.

He watched Zayn walk away.

Liam sighed. Zayn even walked pretty.

Liam sighed, checked his watch and shook himself into action. Harry hated when people were late for parties. A slow smile spread across his face. Besides, he actually had a story to tell and if he wanted to do it before the other guests arrived, then he had better get a move on.

He rang the bell and grinned over his packages at Louis who opened the door.

“I come bearing gifts,” Liam said.

“Come on then,” Louis said. “You’re early.”

“Because,” Liam deposited the presents under the tree, straightened up and put his hands on his hips. “I have a story to tell.”

“Do you now?” Louis said, raising an eyebrow. “Should I call Harry to hear this?”

“Yes, you should. Because I’ve had a Christmas miracle.”

Harry came out with a tray of hot toddies. “A Christmas miracle? You don’t say, Liam. Do tell.”

Liam proceeded to relay the story of his Christmas shopping expedition, leaving names out for the moment. To be honest, he was a little afraid he would jinx it if he said Zayn’s name out loud.

“It’s a Christmas romance,” Harry swooned. “I’m almost sad you and I are leaving, Lou. I’d love to see how this all plays out.”

Liam shook his head. “Well. Maybe it won’t play out. Who knows.” The high of the afternoon was beginning to wear off and he wondered if maybe he’d imagined the chemistry between him and Zayn.

“Don’t overthink it, Li,” Louis advised, sagely. “Just, go with it, you know.”

Harry reached over and patted Liam’s thigh. “It was a lovely story and I can’t wait to meet him. But, right now, I need to check on the food.” Harry unfolded his long frame from the couch and padded into the kitchen.

“Do you need help, love?” Louis asked.

“I wouldn’t say no to help from you, Lou,” Harry called from the kitchen.

Louis smiled at Liam. “Sit back, relax, mate. Am going to help Harry. I refuse to listen to him complain later about how I let him slave over a hot stove by himself.”

“I can hear you,”

“On my way, Haz,” Louis said, sweetly.

The doorbell rang and Louis motioned Liam to the door. “Get the door, Liam, it’s probably Niall,”

Liam stood and made his way to the door and opened it.

“He--yyy.”

Zayn stood at the door, a confused smile on his face. “Liam?”

“Zayn?”

Zayn struggled with the packages in his arms and Liam rushed forward to take them.

“What...wait...your friend...the blue eyes...is Louis?” Zayn asked.

“Yeah. And your friend, the boyfriend who told you what to buy, is Harry? Oh my god, he’s also the rainbow mug guy isn’t he.”

“Yeah, yeah, he is.”

They stood staring at each other, dumbfounded, then Zayn began to laugh and that set Liam off as well.

Louis came into the room to see what was going on. “Lia-oh! Zayn! Hey Haz, Zayn is here. Let the lad in, Liam, what’s the matter with you?”

Liam looked over at Louis, a helpless smile on his face, shoulders still shaking with laughter. He gestured to Zayn who had the back of his hand pressed against his lips in an attempt to muffle his giggles.

“This is my Christmas shopping friend.”

Louis went still. “Your Christmas miracle?”

Zayn glanced at Liam, his eyes bright. “You told them I was your Christmas miracle?”

“Might have.”

“Haz! Get in here!” Louis said, his blue eyes dancing.

Harry wandered into the room, wiping his hands on his Hawaiian-patterned apron. “What’s going on - Oh, Zayn! I didn’t know you’d arrived!”

Louis looked at Harry with a mischievous smile, as he presented Zayn. “Apparently, your friend Zayn? Is Liam’s Christmas shopping friend.”

“No! Is it really?” Harry was incredulous.

By this time, Zayn had reached out to tug on the hem of Liam’s shirt, pulling him closer. Liam grinned and let himself be drawn into Zayn’s gravity and placed a gentle hand on Zayn’s hip.

“Well, well, well,” Louis said, with satisfaction. “It seems I’ve already outdone my previous Epic Birthday-slash-Christmas extravaganzas. I wasn’t even trying to set Liam up. What have I been telling you, Li? You need to relax, go with the flow. You never know when you might meet someone ace.”

Liam smiled, then ducked his chin into his shoulder, suddenly embarrassed in front of Zayn. But, Zayn only nudged him with a shoulder and laughed in a way that was not at all like he was being made fun of. Zayn’s laughter was warm and soft and bright and made Liam’s entire body feel like Christmas had come early.

Last minute shopping had never been so rewarding.


End file.
